style and life by an impatient twenty something

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Snappy Casual

Life transitions typically call for wardrobe transitions. Has anyone else noticed this? For me, it’s always revolved around where I currently was employed. In college, I accumulated a lot of pencil skirts and work wear, as I was one of those dorky campus tour guides leading prospective students and families around my college grounds. I had this one outfit that featured a grey skirt from Ann Taylor, a white button down, a wide blue belt with a big-ol gold buckle, and some sweet, pink, patent heels from Kohls (my mom’s, & every mom’s dream store). It was perfectly profesh, and I felt like a baller. I think it’s what the dean of students at my university was referring to when she told us to dress, “snappy causal.”

When I interned alongside Carrie Morgan in Nashville for a summer, I wore a lot of sandals and day dresses from Urban Outfitters. The thinking was “look as cute as possible,” had to impress my boss! Additionally, it was hot as sin all summer so airy-ness was a definite need in my wardrobe. So much cotton, yet still so much sweat. WHY? WHY!? Why is perspiration a curse in my life?

Currently, I have a much more casual post at work. Although I’m in management, we move so fast that flats and denim is the usual call to duty. The funny twist in this story is before we moved to New York, I was itching to wear denim to work (a no-no) and now it’s really the only thing I fish out of my closet. Got what I wanted in spades. Plus side: I’m having a great time re-learning layering, and figuring out how to make a jeans-and-whatever outfit look so much more than…. whatever. The secret, I’m finding, is how you handle the sweater. Build up, under, and around! Screen tee under a cardigan, poppy button down under a pull-over, or get really wild, and wear a scarf, and SECOND cardigan over a pullover. Sweaters on sweaters on sweaters.

I’ve had hits some days, other days, judging by my husband’s eyebrow raise, possibly a miss. Weather it’s a silk top, old tee, or newly purchased topper piece – I’m down to keep trying something new. And we thought I didn’t like change….